What is a neighborhood – or more specifically, should a neighborhood include Airbnb-style short-term rentals?

Mauldin city leaders and residents alike are grappling with that question, as some homeowners in the city begin using websites such as Airbnb and HomeAway to list their houses or spare rooms online, upsetting some of their neighbors in the process.

The city in May came out with a draft ordinance that would regulate short-term rentals, permitting them under certain conditions. City leaders solicited feedback from citizens on that draft at a public hearing Monday evening.

"Hopefully the ordinance will turn out such that everyone can live with it," Mayor Dennis Raines said.

Residents both for and against the rentals presented their views to City Council at the meeting. The central issues involved neighborhood character and safety.

“I don’t want to live in a neighborhood where you don’t know who’s living next to you," said Winston Chandler, of Pine Gate Court in Mauldin. “People want to feel confident and happy in their home."

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Winston Chandler speaks at a public hearing on short-term rentals in Mauldin on Monday, June 11, 2018.(Photo: Gabe Cavallaro/The Greenville News)

His sentiments were echoed by several other residents, including Allen Jones, of Oak Glen Drive in Mauldin.

“What is a neighborhood? A neighborhood is made up of people. People knowing people, people raising vegetable gardens," he said. “It is not a place to run a hotel or a motel, it is just a neighborhood."

But residents Laura Swartwood and her father-in-law, Leo Swartwood, who both operate their own short-term rentals in the city, disagreed with that assessment.

"A few Airbnbs here and there do not change the character that we all want to keep in our neighborhoods," Leo Swartwood said.

Both he and Laura Swartwood also argued that the draft ordinance regulates short-term rentals unfairly in comparison to long-term rentals, which face less restriction.

“The ordinance draft for the short-term rentals right now is extremely burdensome," Laura Swartwood said. “My concern is the government is invading my right as a property owner."

The council will consider all the comments, and discuss an ordinance among themselves, Councilwoman Carol King said.

The early draft contains some key issues:

It distinguishes between short-term rentals and short-term rental "homestays." A short-term rental is a rental of a full dwelling unit, whereas a homestay is rental of a room in a property owner's home.

Short-term rentals are only allowed by special exception permit if the property is located in a residentially zoned district. To acquire that permit, some conditions must be met, including not altering "the essential residential character of the neighborhood."

Short-term rentals set a minimum seven-day guest stay and a maximum 30-day stay.

The owner of a short-term rental must reside in South Carolina, within a 50-mile radius of Mauldin.

The owner of a homestay must keep that property as their full-time, primary residence and reside there while guests rent rooms.

Only one rental party at a time, made up by a maximum of four adults, can rent rooms at a homestay.

Both homestays and short-term rentals require property owners to provide off-street parking on an "improved surface such as pavement."

Both require registration with the city and payment of an annual business license fee.

Both require annual safety inspections as part of the annual license renewal process.

The full draft ordinance is embedded below.

At the moment no city law specifically addresses short-term rentals, but the city does prohibit property rentals of less than 30 days.

The city is allowing these rentals to operate, however, because "this is such a new issue," said Van Broad, community development director.

"I think we’re trying to use discretion in discerning what we should and shouldn’t do to make sure we get through this process," Broad said.

The first draft of the ordinance has not yet been approved by the Building Codes Committee, which is the first step before it can advance. It will potentially be on the agenda for further discussion when the committee next meets in July, said Kim Hamel, director of Mauldin's Business and Development Services Department.

If approved, the ordinance would next go to the Planning Commission, which would review it and make a recommendation for the full City Council to consider.

Council then has to approve it twice, on first and second reading, before it can take effect.

"We want to do this right — we’re not in a hurry," Raines said.

Growing Greenville

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